330 HIPPOPOTAMUS. FAMILY SUIDJE. 



feet of water ; and comes every five or six minutes to the surface 

 to breathe. It is gregarious in its habits ; and sagacious and 

 wary in its disposition. It seems quite inoffensive when left to 

 itself, but shows great fury when attacked ; and will sometimes 

 become the assailant upon a very slight accidental provocation. 

 It is believed that two species of this animal exist ; though 

 the differences between them have not been satisfactorily ascer- 

 tained. Their range was formerly much greater than at present ; 

 for they gradually retreat as Man advances; but they are very 

 troublesome on the borders of some of the colonies, destroying 

 whole plantations to satisfy the wants of their enormous fabrics. 

 They are in their turn objects of pursuit, on account of their flesh 

 and hide ; the former is much in request, and the layer of fat 

 which lies beneath the skin is considered a peculiar delicacy ; 

 the hide is of enormous thickness, being two inches deep 

 or more on the back and sides, and is made into shields, 

 whips, walking-sticks, &c. Remains of four species of Hip- 

 popotamus have been found in a fossil state in Europe, asso- 

 ciated with those of the Elephant and Rhinoceros ; indicating 

 that this unwieldy monster must have been once an inhabitant 

 of our rivers. 



296. The family SunxaE, or Pig tribe, forming the section 

 Zygodactyla, is the only group of Pachydermata which is widely 

 distributed ; its members are found native in the four quarters 

 of the globe. The animals composing it are distinguished by 

 the conformation of their feet, which have four toes enclosed in 

 separate hoofs, the two central toes being much the largest, and 

 divided by a deep cleft. In the common Hog, each toe has its 

 own distinct metacarpal or metatarsal bones ; but in the Pecca- 

 ries, the metacarpal or metatarsal bones of the two middle toes are 

 consolidated into a single camw-bone, which resembles that of the 

 Ruminants ( 254) ; and the stomach of these animals is parti- 

 ally divided into distinct sacculi, thus presenting another link of 

 connexion between the two groups. The molar teeth in this 

 family vary in number from three to seven on either side in each 

 jaw, and are usually tubercular ; the canines are usually very 

 long, and project forwards as tusks, which are used by the animal 



